Fastening device for vehicle-body structures.



E. GRUBNFELDT. FASTBNING DEVICE FCR VEHICLE BODY STRUCTURES. APPLIOATIONFILED MAY 12, 1909.

958,91 '7. Patented May 2@ 191C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL GRUENFELDT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BAKER MOTOR VEHICLECOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FASTENING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE-BODY STRUCTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 12, 1909.

958,917. Patented May 24, 1910.

Serial No. 495,541.

To all whom it may concern: upright members a a. A rectangular frame Beit known that I, EMIL GRUENFELDT, a c2 limits the inward movement of thecover subject of the Emperor of Germany, resil while it is being placedin position. dent of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and A horizontalrectangular frame B is suit- State of Ohio, have invented a new anduseably secured upon the inside of the sills A A ful Improvement inFastening Devices for 1 of the main body member and directly sup-Vehicle-Body Structures, of which the folports the batteries (not shown)and the lowing is a specification, the principle of the g cover.invention being herein explained and the 2 Upon the lower surface ofeach of the side best mode in which I have contemplated apmembers of thecover is secured a plate (l plying that principle so as to distinguishprovided with a semi-cylindrical bearing d. it from other inventions.Each of the bearings of these plates engages My invention relates todevices for fasa semi-cylindrical journal b forming a part tening partsof vehicle bodies, and particu of the journal plate which is secured tolarl to means for fastening a battery cover the upper surface of theadjacent part of the to tie main body member of the vehicle. frame B, asshown in Fig. 3. The height of The object of the invention is to providethe inner end of the cover is made somewhat means whereby the batterycover may be less than the distance between the frame B readily removedand replaced, and when so and the abutment bar c, so that a limitedreplaced will be held in a secure and stable amount of pivotal movementmay be iininanner, and so as to prevent, as far as posparted to the saidcover. y sible, injury to such cover ordinarily inC- Passing through theouter transverse menident to the distortion of the frame while the berof the frame B are two thumb screws VehlCle 1S ill HS c c, which engagesuitable nuts c c, secured The said invention consists of means hereinany desired manner to the lower portion inafter fully described, andparticularly set of the outer end of the cover, as shown. It forth inthe claims. will therefore be seen that by turning the The annexeddrawing and the following screws c the cover may be moved upon itsdescription set forth in detail certain means pivot. The height of theinner end of the embodying the invention, the disclosed cover is madesuch that the outer end theremeans, however, constituting but one of ofmay be drawn down toward the frame a various forms in which theprinciple of the distance such as to cause the upper edge of inventionmay be used. said inner end to engage the abutment bar In 'said annexeddrawing :-Figure 1 is a c. In this manner, it will be seen that thefront elevation of the forward portion of cover may be mounted upon itspivotal axis the main body member of a vehicle, showing and caused tofirmly engage the abutment the battery cover in place thereon. Fig. 2bar, thereby securing it tightly in place on is a side elevation of theparts shown in the main body member of the vehicle. Fig. l. Fig, 3 is avertical Sect-,ion taken In practice, I prefer to introduce rubber uponthe plane indicated by line IIL-III in bulfers, b2 and c3, which receivethe direct Fig. 2. Fig. 4t is a vertical longitudinal seccontact of theouter lower end and upper intion taken upon the plane indicated by linener edge of the cover, as shown in the IV-IV in Fig. l. Figs. 5 and 6are detail drawing. sections shown upon an enlarged scale. By providingthe pivotal construction As shown in the drawing, the battery abovedescribed, it will be seen that such cover D consists of an end, top andtwo pivot prevents longitudinal displacement of sides, all forming oneintegral structure. the cover with reference to the main body This coverhas its inner end seated between portion, and any strain incident tolongitutwo lateral upright members a a forming an dinal displacement istherefore diverted integral part of the main body member of from thescrews and nuts to the pivot. In the vehicle, the upper inner edge ofthe cover asmuch as this pivot may be made, as will being locatedbeneath a transverse abutment be readily understood, very accurately andmember c, which is suitably secured to a so as to allow of no lostmotion, a transfer transverse member c joining the top of the of strainfrom the pivot to the screws and nuts may be absolutely prevented. Thisis an advantageous feature, in that it is necessary in practice, in theform of device shown in the drawing, to make the apertures in the frameB somewhat larger in diameter than the diameter of the screws, in orderthat the latter may be readily inserted and removed therefrom by hand.

As shown in Fig. 1, the width of the cover D is made somewhat less thanthe distance between the inner surfaces of the upright members a a, sothat a given amount of play may be had between the main body member andthe cover. This play is provided so as to prevent as far as possible thedistortion and consequent injury to the cover when the main body memberis distorted as a result of strain applied thereto in the operation ofthe vehicle. I prefer also in practice, to introduce between the uprightmembers a a and the cover, rubber butl'ers, a a, similar to the buers b2and c3. It will be obvious that these buffers may be attached either tothe cover or to the main body member, as desired.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim therefore and desireto secure by Letters Patent is l. In a device of the class described,the combination of a main body member provided with abutment means, abattery cover pivotally mounted midway of its ends upon said member, andarranged to engage said abutment member, and means at one end forei'ecting such engagement.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a main bodymember, a battery cover pivotally mounted midway of its ends upon saidmember, having its pivotal axis transverse with respect thereto, andVmeans for lXedly holding both endslof the cover to said member.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mainbody-member provided with transverse abutment means; a battery-coverpivotally mounted intermediately of its ends upon said member and havingits pivotal aXis transverse with relation thereto, the inner end of saidcover bein located beneath said abutment means; an means for securingthe outer end of said cover to said frame.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mainbody-member; provided with abutment means; a battery-cover pivotallymounted intermediately of its ends upon said member, and having one endadjacent to such abutment means; means for drawing the other end of saidcover and said frame toward and fixing them to each other ywhereby theengagement of the cover with said abutment means is effected.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mainbody-member provided with transverse abutment means; a battery-coverpivotally and removably mounted upon said member and having its pivotalaxis transverse with respect to the latter; the one end of said coverbeing located beneath said abutment means; and means for drawing theouter end of said cover and said frame toward and fixing same to eachother, whereby said one end of the cover may be caused to engage thesaid abutment means.

Signed my me, this 11th day of May, 1909.

EMIL GRUENFELDT.

Attested by- CURT B. MUELLER, K. F. JUENGLING.

